Crafty-in-Carolina

So a little retail therapy was the perfect cheer-up. I've been buying from thrift stores and consignment shops as I cycle thru sizes, but decided on a splurge of something new. Came home with size 10 pants and Med top. OMG!!! I was a 12-14 even in high school.... back in the stone age. Size 10 y'all. I can't believe it! Yep, I'll wear a wig, a hat, whatever... smile on my face again. :-)

Thanks everyone. I guess I'm scared to death it won't grow back. I can handle just about anything knowing that it is temporary. Just having doubts and frustrations trying to figure out a way to feel confident. Need to go listen to some India Arie... I am not my hair!!!

I'm taking Bariatric Advantage. It has 70 mcg of selenium. Is that enough? Oh and I love your attitude! I need to get me some more of that I don't GAF!!! Apparently, I'm running low.

Well, 3 months + 1 week I can feel the beginning of carb/sweets cravings. I've gotta get this in check asap. So I decided to cut and paste my "before" and "now" pics side by side. I may need to tape this to my fridge. Unlike many, I've felt hunger, real hunger from very early on. I seemed to heal quickly and have had absolutely zero intolerances. I'm quickly finding out that I like sweet stuff way too much. Thought I had more control than this. No regrets, but no illusions either, this is going to be work for the rest of my life, sigh. For now I'll take solace in each little victory. I've been telling my husband I don't think I look all that different, but the side by side pics are an eye opener and good for continued motivation. 3 months progress

What an inspiration you are. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with us. I'm crying with you... not out of pity, but happiness for you. You said you feel that you wasted so many years, but I have a feeling you are living now, I mean really living.... in such a way that many can not because they take their days for granted. I'm betting you take nothing for granted. May your days be long and blessed. You make 60 look awesome!!!

Hello guys. I'm 3 months post VSG and really want to incorporate some strength training into my life 2-3 days per week. I've been walking since surgery and have increased briskness and length of walks. I've also started back riding my bicycle. I enjoy being outdoors so the walking/biking are great for me. I feel I've got my cardio covered. I do not care to join a gym, but I know I need to start some strength training. I would be a total newbie. Can anyone recommend either some youtube videos, or dvds, or Amazon videos or anything. I don't know where to begin and I don't want to injure myself. I would prefer something I can do at home without special equipment, except maybe some resistance bands or something like that. Yoga appeals to me.... would that strengthen and tone muscles? Any suggestions for the uncoordinated, clumsy beginner type?

OMG, I am laughing so hard right now, this thread is hilarious. I'm sure we've all been there in one way or another. I will just say when the fat started leaving, I was pleasantly surprised to find a good bit of muscle in my legs. I guess it takes a lot of strength to move and support a body that was so much bigger. I keep asking hubby to feel my muscles. He says they were likely there all along, just hidden, LOL.

Hour long walk this morning equals 8500 steps by 10am. Yay!!!

Wowza!!!! You are doing great and you look amazing. Isn't it weird to be OK with stepping on the scale at the doctor's office????

Thank you everyone! To CocoNina, you may actually develop an aversion to sweets after surgery. I heard from so many people that said their tastes changed dramatically. Mine seem not to have changed at all, but I'm kind of thinking I'm the minority, not the rule. Don't be scared. When you start to see progress, it will be motivating. I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to tape my progress pic to the fridge. I was truly shocked when I put the two side by side. Remember to take your "before" pictures! I've always hated the camera so I would literally hide out when someone would start snapping pics. I regret now not having some honest before shots. There are a few, but not many. The one I posted exists simply because my lovely Aunts were in from out of state due to the death of my mother. I couldn't not take pics with them since I see them so infrequently and they traveled such a distance. P.S. Love your "fitspiration" pic!

A lot will depend on what you are used to pre-surgery. You want to get walking immediately, but listen to your body. That first week or two when my incisions started feeling achy and sore, I would stop. Don't over do it, but definitely get moving. It will help you feel better in so many ways.

Are you on Instagram? Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal Ap I am not. Should I be? LOL. I suppose I could join up.

I do not enjoy the new attention. I feel great and wouldn't change a thing, but I hate when I see someone that I haven't seen in a while and weight loss inevitably becomes the topic of conversation with laser-like intensity. I try to change the topic politely. I don't enjoy discussing my weight/health problems now any more than I did when I was bigger. I know this is temporary. Soon people will get used to the "new normal" and it will no longer be a novelty. I can't wait for that day. Right now, I dread walking into a room of people, especially if they haven't seen me in a while. I know they absolutely mean no harm, comments are meant to be complimentary and it's natural to express curiosity about dramatic changes, but still it feels very uncomfortable to have people staring, critiquing my body openly. Small price to pay in the overall scheme of things though.

I literally had to LOL at your inside voice over your doctor's advice. Same here. It's amazing how much more energy you have after you drop a few pounds though. I have a Jawbone and I love it so much. Definitely keeps me motivated. For the first time ever, I hit 15,000 steps the other day. I hate the gym, so I've started walking to take care of my errands. Need to pick up prescriptions.... walk. Need a couple of items from the grocery store.... walk. My car is sitting a lot more than it used to, but I'm feeling good and strong. Good on you for making it happen!!!

My insurance did not require any supervised diets, etc, so I was able to move fairly quickly. But it still took time to get all the paperwork coordinated from PCP, asthma doc, etc., plus attend the info sessions the clinic required and schedule appointments with NUT and Psyc. My seminar was mid-July and surgery early-Oct. Even if you are self-pay, a good clinic will require visits with a nutritionist, psychologist, etc. If your insurance doesn't hold you up and you can take whatever appointments are offered, you *might* be able to make it on your proposed timetable. Not impossible, just exceptional. :-)

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this too. It hurts so much to see the ones we love suffer. My mother was in denial about diabetes for so long, so hers went untreated for years because she was unwilling to face facts and listen to doctors. She was most definitely an emotional eater. She ate for comfort. She ate because she didn't feel loved the way she wanted. She ate for fulfillment that she could never achieve. I miss her so much. She lost kidney function and her eyesight, and almost lost a foot at one point. Ultimately had to start dialysis and hated it. I think that was the beginning of the end for her. She just didn't want to live that way. Many people do well on dialysis, but my mother hated it. I am determined that my son will not have to watch me suffer that way. I woke up with a new resolve this morning. I'm not gonna lie, it feels good (and strange) to be able to shop in "regular" stores, but my motivation is my health, being there for my 9 yr old son and setting a good example for him. I love being able to ride my bicycle with him at the park now! I would never have attempted that before. Those are the moments that make life good, the chocolate..... it's kind of how I imagine heroine would be.... ecstasy in the moment, but morphing into regrets and self-loathing after the damage is done.

Yes! Such truth. My happy buttons (besides food, sex) are unfortunately sedentary ones. I love sewing, knitting, reading... these things I do alone, in peace, but I am trying to find ways to be more active and social. Thanks for posting. I want to try some sort of dancing, but I feel weird going without a partner (hubby is not interested). Gotta ditch the excuses and just do it.

The before is right after I lost my mom to complications from diabetes (kidney failure) and early onset of heart disease. Shortly after losing her I realized that I was headed for the same type of end. I actually lost a few pounds before my initial consult and then continued to lose as I worked thru my NUT and Psych visits. Then lost a bit more during the liver shrinking liquid pre-op diet. I actually dropped just below 35 bmi right before my surgery, but my insurance goes with the initial consult weigh-in. I did have co-morbidity which is how I qualified being below 40 bmi. I'm 5-3 with highest known weight of 242 (from a few years back). But in the last couple of years I seemed to settle around 216. Initial weigh-in 206. Morning of surgery 190. Now 158, so a total loss of 58 lbs since deciding on wls. I'm thrilled with the progress so far, but already doubts are kicking in about regain.

Thanks, I'll see if I can locate these.

I understand. I was sleeved 10-10-16 and haven't had the first bit of nausea or intolerance to anything I've tried. It's kind of nice to have such an easy recovery, but it's scary too... that it would be way too easy to fall back into bad habits.

You could always heat up some fairlife chocolate milk. If you need more protein, add some powder to it, but like others said make sure it's not over 140 degrees.

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. I was around 35 bmi when I got my surgery approval. I had my surgery on 10/10 and after the pre-op diet I was down to 190 (at 5-3" tall)at actual surgery time. It's been 6 weeks since surgery now. Though I've lost a total of 40 lbs since starting the whole process I've only lost 15 of those post surgery. I was told to expect a slower loss than those significantly more overweight. In theory, this is ok. It should mean fewer raised eyebrows, hopefully less dramatic hormonal changes, fingers crossed for less saggy skin issues??? We'll see. As for tips, I say follow your plan and start walking as soon as you possibly can. I had an amazingly easy recovery and hope you do too!

Hey guys. I just finished up the bottle of Bariatric Advantage multi-vitamins that I got from my doctors office. I opened up a new bottle of Opurity which I got when I ordered a bunch of Unjury products. I was just making a comparison of the bottles side by side and noticed that the Opurity multi does not list Vitamin K. Has anyone else had experience taking this one? I meant to buy only 1 bottle (90 day supply) but accidentally purchased 2 instead, so I've got a 6 month supply! Yikes! Should I go out and find a Vit K supplement to take along with it? I'm wondering if a Vit K deficiency isn't all that common for VSG patients and maybe that's why it's not included???? I hate to add another pill to the regimen. If it's not necessary, I can skip it, however, if it's really important I would hate to be 6 months without it. But I'm thinking if it were important, it would be included in this multi-vitamin which is supposed to be specifically for sleeve patients. Any insight????

So I went to support group last night and found out I can keep taking them, that the vit K supplement isn't essential.

So I'm almost 3 weeks out and got to switch from full liquid diet to purees. I'm feeling a little paranoid reading how little some people eat, like only a couple of bites??? I pureed some roasted cauliflower for a mashed potato substitute and can eat about 1/2 cup before getting full signals. Is this unusual? It's a lot less than a pre-sleeve meal, so I'm thankful, but it seems others have more restriction.